NYC History & Politics

Culture of Gotham City

Fall Season

New York City bursts with blockbuster exhibits, world-class music and Broadway shows not to mention great sightseeing, shopping, and special events.
Opening nights for the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera are in September, and October brings such highlights as the Columbus Day Parade, Belmont Park's Breeder's Cup, and the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. Radio City Music Hall's Christmas Spectacular kicks off November, followed by the New York City Marathon, the New York Chocolate Show, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Garden Train Show, and the lighting of the tree in Rockefeller Center. Other great fall events include the Mid-Atlantic Skating Championships, New York Film Festival, and parades for Steuben Day, African American Day, and Hispanic Day. Sports fans rejoice - the Knicks Basketball Season begins and runs through Spring, and the ice skating rinks open at Rockefeller Center, Central Park's Wollman Rink, and the rink in Prospect Park. At the Central Park Zoo, you can feed "fishsicles," peanut-butter smeared balls, and turkey legs to the four resident polar bears. Visitors in the know spend the evening before Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade watching the gigantic floats being filled with helium in preparation for the holiday promenade along Central Park West and down Broadway.

How safe is New York City? Contrary to popular belief, the City consistantly ranks in the top ten safest large cities in the United States. The NYPD is the largest municipal police force in the world and has it's own Movie/TV Unit.

New York Climate

New York has a humid continental climate resulting from prevailing wind patterns that bring cool air from the interior of the North American continent. New York winters are typically cold with moderate snowfall.New York Weather Forecast

Demographics

New York's two key demographic features are its density and diversity. The New York City metropolitan area is home to the largest Jewish community outside Israel. It is also home to nearly a quarter of the nation's South Asians, and the largest African American community of any city in the country.Ethnic composition